


Unleashed

by EsriteIatha



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Because Frick the MCU The Original Six Are Very Good Friends, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Monster of the Week, Protective Steve Rogers, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-05-18 09:05:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19331437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EsriteIatha/pseuds/EsriteIatha
Summary: When Steve and Tony accidentally stumble upon an explosion on a remote island, they find something straight out of a bad science fiction movie. They only have each other to rely on. They either form an unbreakable friendship and team or they both lose everything.





	1. #1 Explosion

**Author's Note:**

> This just happened ( or keeping happening considering that it will have more chapters.) I really want them to be good friends and I'm really mad at the MCU that they didn't give us that.

Steve frowns as the sunlight reflects back from the surface of the water around them straight into his own eyes.  He turns his head away from the blinding whiteness and chooses to set a critical eye on the vehicle with which he and his companion are traveling. The yacht is small, only enough place for two people, the built is smooth, the colors light and the name Melody is written on its side with elegant black letters. 

 

The owner is leaning against the big, wooden wheels and sometimes gently steers it to the right direction. Tony speaks non-stop, he keeps gesticulating with his free hand despite the fact that he is using his com and no one can actually see him. 

 

"Full damage reports, names, numbers, bank accounts. You know the drill. Send everything to Jarvis. He'll sort out the rest! Okay, see ya soon!" 

 

The billionaire taps his finger against his left ear and by this time Steve knows that it's a sign that he has ended the call.

 

"What was that?" he asks. "Bank accounts?"

 

Tony turns towards him with a raised eyebrow. 

 

"Yeah, you know, those virtual..."

 

Steve rolls his eyes. Even after New York, the guy still gets under his skin. 

 

"I know what a bank account is! What I want to know why do you want with them now? We have other pressing matters to attend to." 

 

He means the alien looking thing hidden in the stomach of their ship. It is some kind of a power source according to Stark. They managed to get hold of it during their last mission and Stark got permission to examine it for a few days. Of course, their billionaire had a private island not far from the scene of the last battle and this is where they are heading right now. Just the two of them, while the others distract the officials with carefully detailed reports. 

 

"Damage control is a priority too, Rogers!" Tony speaks, but this time he doesn't look at the soldier. 

 

"Damage control?" Steve asks. 

 

"We are not that careful with our surroundings, Cap. Most of the time the property we damage is not ours." Tony explains. 

 

Steve frowns again. He is a soldier. He has been one ever since the serum. He fights the battles, but this is the first time someone mentions the aftermath. The damage to other people's property. 

 

"You have been doing that?" he asks. "You have been taking care of it all this time?" 

 

Tony shrugs but stubbornly keeps his eyes away from Steve. "Someone has to and I have the money."

 

"But S.H.I.E.L.D..." 

 

"As you have said before, Cap. They have other priorities." 

 

Steve opens his mouth but closes it too. What can he say? Try as he might, he still can't understand Stark properly.  He expects something than he does the opposite. But one thing is sure. Tony Stark is not like his father. 

 

"Our ETA is in one hour," Stark speaks again. The change of topic is obvious. Steve goes with it.

 

"We'll there be others?" he asks.

  
"Just Jarvis. Not even the ho---" 

 

They are passing a small, jungle-covered island. In the middle of their conversation, the loud, shattering sound of an explosion shakes their little ship.  Immediately Tony lungs forward, his fingers flying over the controls and the yacht slows down. 

 

"Holy Mother of Heart attacks!" Tony huffs as he leans against the wheel. He dramatically rubs the arc reactor above his heart. Steve ignores him. He walks up to the rail of the ship's side and tries to see through the jungle. He doesn't have to strain his eyes too much. He can see the curling dark smoke clearly. 

 

"Who owns this island?" he asks. Something is curling in his stomach. A dark foreboding. 

 

"Not me," Tony answers immediately. Then he makes a confused face. "Right Jarvis? This is not mine?" 

 

"No, Sir!" 

 

Steve jumps a little. This is the first time the AI speaks ever since the start of their journey. 

 

"Can we go closer?" He asks in the end. 

 

"We can try!" Tony nods. He reaches for the controls again and then he turns the wheel. Their speed is much more careful as they inch closer and closer. 

 

"I can't see anyone," Steve says as his eyes scan the island. There is no movement on the beach or in the jungle.  

 

"Sir," Jarvis speaks again. "May I remind you that it's almost impossible the maneuver with the Melody in bad weather conditions." 

 

"I know that!" Tony sounds annoyed. Then suspicion enters the billionaire's voice. "Why?"

 

"There is a storm coming, Sir." 

 

"WHY DIDN'T YOU START WITH THAT?" Tony shouted. 

 

However, before Jarvis can react, something slammed against the yacht. Steve doesn't expect it and loses his balance. With an embarrassing yelp slipping out his mouth, he falls over the railing and the deep blue sea swallows him whole. 

 

To Be Continued


	2. #2 Downpour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm is on the top of him. It means that despite the serum, he has no chance against the sea. 
> 
> He blinks at the water again. There is no sign of a brunette head anywhere. Captain fucking America has lost another man.

There are things on the top of him and the air smells like smoke and burning plastic. He looks around and with a sinking feeling, he understands that the Melody is burning and by the tilt of the ship, it's sinking too. 

 

"Jarvis! My suit!" he orders as he wrestles himself out of the ruins. There is a sharp pain in his right side and he stumbles on the deck. 

 

"Jarvis!" he calls out again, but no answer comes. He crawls towards the cabin despite the burning hotness surrounding him. He needs his suit, then he has to fish the Cap out of the sea because that dinosaur and water don't mix well, then he has to get the alien artifact... He stops. His initial scan showed that the thing was highly flammable and probably blows up given a hot enough situation. The Melody is on fire. Being exact, the cabin is on fire. He hesitates for a moment because he needs his suit goddamnit, but also, the cabin is on fire and it's getting bigger. He turns and jumps. As soon as the water wraps around his body and the shock of the coldness almost force the precious air out of his lungs, big rolling waves push him further and further away from the ship. 

 

Then the whole world turns into a fireball and the shockwave takes away the remains of his sense of direction. 

 

***

 

Even with supernatural strength, swimming back to the ship was impossible. God sees his soul he has tried, but the wind is getting stronger and stronger every minute and the waves are big and unpredictable. In the end, he has no choice. As his body is slammed against the sharp rocks that surround this part of the island he gets hold of one of them. He pulls himself up with gritted teeth. 

 

And as he is high enough, safe from the unforgiving waves, the Melody blows up. 

 

He watches the flames dance over the waves with a horror-filled fascination. He sees how the Melody engulfed in flames dives under the sea. The scene is surreal. Something not earthy. It shouldn't be real. 

 

He stares and stares then moves. He is knee-deep in the water when his brain catches up with his body. The waves slam against the rocks like angry warnings. A lightning flashes in the sky the next second. A storm is on the top of him. It means that despite the serum, he has no chance against the sea. 

 

He blinks at the water again. There is no sign of a brunette head anywhere. Captain fucking America has lost another man. 

 

He has lost Tony Stark. 

 

His mouth opens and closes. There is another lightning and a rumble of thunder follows close on its heels. 

 

He has lost Howard Stark's son. 

 

He doesn't know what to do with that information. He turns away from the mocking waves in a daze and stares at the island in front of him. A jungle to be exact. A familiar numbness settles over him as he starts walking.

 

***

 

Sweet baby Jesus of All Heavens!

 

He is alive!

 

He starts laughing almost hysterically which ends in a hellish coughing fit. In the end, he coughs up half of the sea.

 

Come to think of it. His lungs are burning. His head hurts like a bitch. There is something seriously wrong with his side. The night and the storm are almost on the top of him.   

 

Captain fucking America is missing. 

 

Oh, hell! 

 

***

 

The storm has gotten a lot closer as he walks at the edge of the jungle. An hour ... maybe... has passed since the destruction of the Melody. He hasn't encountered any life so far. The sun has disappeared completely. The darkness has settled in. It doesn't matter to him. Thanks to the serum, he can see in the dark. Stark used to comper him to a cat. 

 

He is not thinking about that. 

 

It's not just his eyes though. His hearing is above excellent too. 

 

So, when there is the sound of a branch snapping close by, he freezes. He listens intently, holding his breath.  

 

Someone is cursing softly, almost inaudible. Not for Steve though.

 

Even as a whisper, he recognizes this voice. He runs before he fully registers his own movements. 

 

He can not be that lucky! 

 

As it turns out, he can. 

 

Or it's just the other guy's luck. After all, it wasn't Steve who escaped the impossible and survived the wormhole. 

 

But as he explodes out of the bushes, he comes face to face with a very startled Tony Stark. 

 

"Jesus, Rogers!" the man's right-hand flies to the arc reactor and covers it protectively. Something Steve has seen him do a couple of times before. Something to think about later.

 

"I thought that you died." Steve blurts out stupidly. He stares at the man in front of him blankly. An enigma really. 

 

Stark grins cockily.

 

"You are not that lucky." 

 

That statement and the attitude bring back a familiar irritation and the world rights itself. 

 

He turns his gaze away from the other man and Steve Rogers hides behind Captain America again. 

 

"Do we have any leads on what happened with your ship?" he asks. He scans his surroundings. His previous daze is gone. He is battle-ready again.

  
"A torpedo," Tony replies flatly. 

 

Steve's eyes widen. "Are you sure?" 

 

Because let's be real. Torpedos out here sinking unsuspecting ships? 

 

"I am sure. I managed to crawl my way out of the water right next to the launcher." he waves absent-mindedly behind himself. "We got too close, the guard dog bit us." he shrugs.

 

"Than we are in enemy's territory. " Steve states through clenched teeth. It is bad news. "What about your suit?" he freezes as another thought crosses his mind. "What about the alien thing?" 

 

"Kaboom!" Tony waves at the sea. 

 

"Damn it!" Steve hisses. "We should have gone with SHIELD!" 

 

"We should have done lot's of things differently, but we didn't. Should I remind you why we approached this island? Do you remember that explosion?" Tony shots back with irritation clear in his voice. 

 

"I didn't forget about it!" Steve defends himself. Of course, he didn't. He just didn't know what to do about it while he thought that he was alone. 

 

"We should check it out. This is our best bet right now." Tony prompts.

 

"Or we can encounter hostile forces," Steve shots back. 

 

They end up in one of their infamous arguments. They both have pros to their own theories and cons to the others. In the end, though, the decision is taken out of their hands. The storm reaches them and what starts out as a gentle breeze, it turns out to be a full-on downpour. Neither of them encountered any place that could give them some kind of shelter, so their only chance is the heart of the island, where the explosion happened.

 

"Fine!" Steve huffs. "Stay close!" 

 

Tony gives him a mock salute and a shit-eating grin. Steve just rolls his eyes and starts towards the place where the flames of the building paint the stormy sky orange. However, after several steps, he notices that there are no another pair echoing footsteps. He stops and turns expectantly. Stark is still standing at the same spot as before, a blank espression has taken over his features. 

 

"Now, Stark!" Steve calls. They are getting soaked after all. 

 

"Ha ha... Funny thing..." Tony mumbles and slowly his left arm sneaks around his waist. "Never mind!"

 

He takes a step, falters, grabs the nearest branch with his free hand. That catches Steve's attention. 

 

"Are you alright?" he asks with a frown. He takes a step back, towards the other man, but Stark is already straightening himself, pulling away. 

 

"I'm fine!"

 

Several weeks ago, after finding out that Natasha had spent time studying Tony's behavior, and after finally fully accepting that he is going to be the Avengers' leader, he asked her to give him few tips on their genius. Her most important rule was that fine never means truly fine with Stark.

 

"Are you injured?" he asks again. 

 

"Tony, I have to know!" he snaps when the genius doesn't reply. Finally, logic and common sense win over whatever other reason Tony has behind his stubbornness and his arm clench over his side protectively. 

 

"I hurt my side on the Melody," he admits softly. 

 

"How badly?" Steve presses as he reaches for the other man's torn shirt. Tony bats his hand away. 

 

"It's dark!" Tony snaps. 

 

"I can see in the dark pretty well. Show me!" He instructs. 

 

"We need a shelter, then you can mother-hen me!" Tony pushes him away and starts walking. At least he tries. It's all wobbly, hesitant and looks painful. It's his right side that hurts by the look of it, so, Steve steps next to him, on his left, and steadies him. 

 

"Come on, as I said,  I can see pretty well in the dark." 

 

To Be Continued 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this and want to chat with me about Marvel stuff, you can find me on Tumblr here: thegeniusnumber.tumblr.com


End file.
